Where It All Began
by Pop the Question
Summary: Edward and Bella fell in love years ago at summer camp. It may have taken him months, but he finally has the perfect way to show her how much he wants to spend forever with her.


Pop the Question Contest Entry

Title: Where It All Began

Word Count: 5,987

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Rating: T

Summary: Edward and Bella fell in love years ago at summer camp. It may have taken him months, but he finally has the perfect way to show her how much he wants to spend forever with her.

Warnings: The following story contains some references to Star Trek: Next Generation.

**Where It All Began**

"Hey, guess what I got in the mail today?"

Edward grins and glances at the speaker phone. Just hearing Bella's voice had that effect on him even if she was interrupting the last of his work for the day.

"Uh, an invitation to Rose and Emmett's wedding?"

"Oh, shut up! You _know_ they're never going to get married. They've been engaged for two years. Rose got her rock and they live together. They're never going to make it legal."

"Alright, I guess you have a point there. So, what is it that has you all excited?"

"Well, I got an invitation to Camp Lanawanka!"

"They want you to come back and be a counselor again? Benjamin and Tia did always love you best."

"They loved you, too. Besides, it's not like I can help it that I was everyone's favorite back then."

"Yeah, especially Jake's."

"That's a low blow. I can't help it if the camp's mascot had a thing for my Abercrombie flip flops."

"But baby, _I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch._"

"I'm hanging up if you go any further with your singing of that song. I hated it that summer and true story, I hate it ten years later."

"Alright, alright. If they're not asking you to come back again, then what is it?"

"Actually, it's a reunion invitation. I didn't even know they did this, but it sounds like fun if you could take the time off for it."

"You want me to take the time off to go out of town with my girl to the place of our origin? Count me in, for sure."

"You wouldn't be opposed to me starting to plan for the trip and asking Emm and Rose if they're going?"

"Make it so, Number One. I'll be home for dinner."

"I love you, although I'm not sure why." Her laughter softens her words and I wish I was there to kiss her for being so perfect for me.

"I love you, too. I'll see you in an hour or so. Sooner if I can get this program finished."

"Hint taken, I'm putting mushrooms all over your fajitas as we speak though."

"You're killing me, baby, you're killing me."

"Later."

The grin grows as he disconnects and tries to lose himself in his work. It's a rare occasion that he struggles for focus when he's in his office. It's the one place that all other distractions are turned off. It has long since been that Bella was his kryptonite, so to speak, and she has the power to distract him from just about anything. However, this time it wasn't just his beautiful girlfriend weighing on his mind. Instead, it was the combination of seeing his plan starting to finally fall into place and the ring that was burning a hole in his sock drawer.

He found himself pondering if he should have taken the simpler route when it came to his proposal. He could feel it deep inside of him that this was the right call. Bella is a simple girl who didn't need a billboard declaring his love for her or a trip to a private beach with his intention spelled out in rocks. He knew her heart though, and he knew that coming at it like this would be the perfect way to begin their next chapter.

x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

"Eddie, my boy, I've got everything set up down by the lake if you want to take a look at it before they all start arriving," Benjamin calls to Edward as he steps outside of the technology building.

"Thanks! I'm on my way now."

Edward shifts his path so he can make his way through the woods, too impatient to follow the winding path to the clearing by the lake. The warmth of the late spring day seemed to climb much higher than was normal and the birds chirp their merry tune from the tops of the trees while a humid breeze blew through the air. He could even smell the lake that was not too far in front of him. He momentarily contemplates joining their happy tune before remembering his singing voice rivaled the cast offs of reality television. So he settles for the extra pep in his step. Today is the day he has waited and planned for months; to be sure it was everything she deserved. He had a feeling it was going to go perfectly, not at all like the nightmares that had been plaguing him recently.

As he arrives at the lake, it's almost as if time had suddenly spun backwards. The fire pit still resided in the exact same place along with the logs and benches arranged around it. The only thing that stood out in the familiar location was the tables lining the edge of the area draped in table cloths and laden with delicious foods, and alcohol that was never present at activities. He examines the s'more buffet on the end. Tia most definitely hadn't been kidding when she'd said she was going to go all out with a s'mores bar. There had to be at least four different varieties of graham crackers, marshmallows in all shapes and sizes, and a glass tray overflowing with at least eight different kinds of chocolate.

When he had contacted the Bircharts about the possibility of this reunion, Tia had jumped at the chance. He was certain part of her enthusiasm stemmed from the fact that she credited herself as having a large part in them actually making their relationship work. Over the years when he'd managed to make a mess of things at camp, she'd been willing to stick her neck out and deliver notes and gifts between them. He's nearly positive that she even overlooked the occasional rule breaking of sneaking out after dark to meet up at the lake.

Being back here made him feel sixteen again; he could still remember his parents' announcement that he would be spending his summer volunteering at Camp Lanawanka. Their talks about how good it would look on college applications were nothing more than a thinly veiled excuse; they knew he needed to expand his social life into reality. He knew his parents loved and would do anything for him. That love and commitment to his happiness had been the reason they had allowed him to make the decision to be home-schooled. However, he knew they worried about his social life, or lack there of.

All these years later, he was so grateful they'd forced him to give up a summer of _World of Warcraft_. Initially, he had been sure that everyone would despise him the way they had at his old school. However, he'd found himself falling into an easy pattern with the campers in his assigned cabin and even his daytime assignment at the technology station. For the first time in years he found himself happy and accepted by his peers.

Then came the announcement that he was sure would spoil all his efforts towards being normal. Every two weeks, they had various activities with the girls portion of Camp Lanawaka that conducted their daily activities across the lake. It wasn't as if he thought girls had cooties like his campers believed, but he had been scarred by his experiences with them previously and was in no hurry for a repeat performance. No, in his experience girls were cruel creatures who should only be approached with extreme caution. He'd once made the mistake of approaching Tanya Denali as a freshman; all he had intended was to offer her a partnership in Biology. However, it had turned into the biggest mistake in his life as he stammered all over himself and put a target on his back for her group of friends to mock and ridicule him.

The flat rocks that lined the bed of the lake around the dock were the first place he'd ever seen Bella. Her long hair had been blowing in the wind as she performed a clapping game with one of her campers. She was laughing and singing some silly rhyme; in that moment he'd felt as if he couldn't breathe. He had never seen anyone as beautiful as she was. He had wished he had the courage to approach her, but even as he tried to talk himself up to it, an over sized boy he knew to be Emmett descended, stealing her attention.

He had watched from afar all summer, one eye always focused on her as he taught his campers the finer points of winning a Yu-Gi-Oh battle. He never gathered up the confidence to approach her, but he surreptitiously gathered information and enjoyed watching his fellow counselors strike out.

The night of the final bonfire, Edward had taken up residence on his favorite log with his boys, laughing and carrying on. He was almost going to miss these times and he was surely dreading the barn dance that was the final whole camp activity. In the middle of a heated battle Mike, who had wormed his way into Edward's heart as his favorite and yet most annoying camper, grabbed Edward's sunglasses off his head and ran to dangle them over the lake. When Edward had made the mistake of leaving his spot on the edge of the clearing, things only gotten worse. It was then that he made a move to get his glasses back and his foot caught on the rocks. Edward tripping and falling was nothing new; except that he'd failed to notice a small unsuspecting body eating a s'more. At the last moment, he spotted and recognized the small form. He closed his eyes and prayed that he would somehow fall just short of her. Before he knew it, he was landing on the ground and shoving both her and her treat in the lake.

He had never had one of those experiences where everything around you seemed to happen in slow motion, but still far too quickly for you to stop it from happening. As soon as she hit the water, he was on his feet and trying to help her back out, stumbling all over himself as he apologized for being so clumsy. However, before he could make his apologies, there was a crowd of their fellow counselors edging him out. Everyone's attention had been focused on Bella and helping her out and getting her dried off.

It had been the first time the entire summer that Edward had truly felt like he was on the outside of everything. Once more his awkwardness had ruined it all. He had been partaking in a blow out pity party for one had been taking place on the furthest edge of the clearing until Tia had approached him.

"You should know something about Bella. She's one of my favorite counselors. She's been coming here every summer since she was just eight, and when she was too old to attend she was a junior counselor and now a real one," she had explained as she sat down on the fallen tree trunk next to him.

"She's one of the kindest and most forgiving people I know, but she gets awfully feisty about her s'mores." She'd given him a pointed look and a look towards the table of dwindling s'more supplies and he'd known in an instant what he had to do in an attempt to make things right.

"I'm really sorry that I pushed you into the lake, it wasn't my intention at all."

The smile she had bestowed on him as she turned toward his voice and had nearly knocked the wind out of him. It was clear to see that Tia was right. Bella wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

"It's alright. You tripped, it happens. It was my own fault for sitting to the edge and not paying attention." She blinked as if she were trying to place him. "Edward, right? It's your first year?"

"Yeah. And uhm...Yeah."

He had stumbled briefly and told himself he needed to be more articulate and focus on something other than her smile.

"I know you lost your s'more when you fell in the lake, so I wanted to get you another one." He offered her the very carefully constructed s'more with two marshmallows toasted to just barely golden."

"Thank you, that was really thoughtful."

"You're welcome. It was the least I could do. Again, I'm really sorry."

He turned to walk away, pleased that at least the object of his affection no longer hated him.

"If you're really sorry, you could sit down here and keep me company for awhile and tell me how you've enjoyed camp this summer."

Nerves and all, Edward hadn't hesitated even a moment before turning and walking back to her, carefully sitting next to her on the rocks. The conversation between them had flowed easily the rest of the night before it came to the time that they had to collect their campers and head back to their cabins.

The rest of the final week of camp he felt like he was floating on air from his conversation with her. It took all of his self restraint to keep from pinching himself when she'd approached him at the barn dance. They'd spent most of the evening strolling around the barn, keeping an eye on their mischievous campers and asking each other questions about their lives back at home. At the end of the night, she'd found a paper and given him her e-mail address, asking in the sweetest tone if he would write her so they didn't lose touch.

"She's going to love this, you know?"

Edward shifts to face Tia, pulling himself out of his musings and back to the present. "You went above and beyond. I can't believe all this."

"Oh, pish posh. How many camp directors can say they are part of such a wonderful story? I'm honored that you wanted to do it here. Besides, you know I never turn down a good excuse to spend time with my old campers."

"Are you sure you don't want me to cover some of the cost behind this? That was my initial intention when I called you about this," he reminds her, hoping that even though it was his fifteenth offer, she'd take him up on it.

The swift smack on his side was enough of an answer.

"We have talked about doing something like this for years to get a chance to see the kids that have grown up and left us behind. You just gave me the perfect excuse to push my Benny into it. Not to mention, you more than take care of the technology center and make sure we're up to date on the best parental control software and our machines never get to out of date."

"That's nothing. Kids these days are ninja hackers and I couldn't let two of my favorite people be held liable for the kids getting around your security features."

"Is she coming up by herself? Are you sure she doesn't suspect at all what's going on?"

"No, I roped Rosalie and Emmett into this plan of mine, so they're bringing her up after they spend the day shopping. She was bummed I had to drive up separately because of the securities conference I was speaking at."

"Well, look at that. Not only did little Edward Cullen get the girl, but he's finally learned how to scheme and actually keep it a secret."

The chime from the cell phone on Tia's hip kept him from having to answer for the pink rising up to the tips of his ears.

"Benny says about four car fulls of people have arrived and he's sending them down with a guide so you better get back to your cabin and get cleaned up before she gets here and realizes you sneaked away today to spend the day with me instead of her."

Laughing, Edward hops up from his spot before helping Tia to her feet, pulling her into one final hug before jogging back off in the same direction. He'd made a stop at his old cabin wher he'd stashed the overnight bag and headed to the shower. If he wanted the night to go as planned, he didn't want to look or smell like a pig. He was certain that would land him his own trip in the lake courtesy of his girl.

As he steps under the hot water, he could feel the butterflies returning to his stomach as the time drew near. However, they weren't the kind of butterflies that flew at hurricane speed, causing your stomach to turn in anxiousness. Instead, they were almost a welcome addition. He felt as if he had been bursting for the last two months to ask her; to move on to the next step in their life together. He couldn't say he believed in love at first sight, but he'd known that first night by the lake she was something special. Most days when he woke up with her in his arms, he still couldn't believe his luck.

He found himself drying and dressing with lightening speed. Likely too eager for his own good, but he couldn't help it if he somehow managed to make it to the bonfire before her. He would just claim he'd let everyone go early. When he'd gone through his closet to find the correct outfit for their night, his first instinct had reached for the suit in the back of the closet before he'd remembered his chosen location. While he knew that Bella had a weakness for him in a suit, he also knew it would be a dead give away. So instead, he'd decided on a pair of jeans he thought were a bit snug, but apparently did good things for his ass and a shirt with his brown leather jacket over it. Shoving his feet into his boots before, he pulled his bag out from under his bunk to retrieve the black velvet box.

Popping the lock on the front of the box, he let his eyes take in the diamond he'd been hiding for months. The next time he opened this box, he would be putting it on her finger and nothing made him feel better than that knowledge. When he'd gone into the jewelry store that he purchased her ring at he'd begun to feel as if he was running out of hope. He had this ridiculous thought that he'd be able to find a ring that said _Bella_ to him. Seven different jewelry stores and he was legitimately concerned he wasn't going to be able to find the ring. He couldn't even describe the ring to the jewelers that asked for specifics. When he'd laid eyes on the one in the far left of the case, he knew instantly it was her ring. The woman had given him some song and dance about exquisite taste and details of the three carat cushion cut ring. All that mattered to him in that moment was that it was Bella's ring.

Shoving it deep in his pocket, he checked the mirror to make sure the box wasn't too conspicuous before heading out of the cabin, opting to take the path this time. He was glad to see the clearing alive with activity and people milling everywhere. Some of them, like Emmett and Rose, were familiar faces he saw on a regular basis in his life. The rest he wasn't sure he remembered at all form his summers here.

"There you are!"

After he calmed himself from feeling like his heart was jumping out of his chest, he turned to the Amazon sized blond on his left.

"Rose."

"How's it hanging, Romeo? You ready for this?"

"Yeah, of course. Everything is just how it should be. Thank you for making sure she got here."

Even as they conversed, his eyes didn't focus on her. Instead, they were searching the crowd for the familiar face he longed to see the most and feeling panic squeeze at his chest when he couldn't find her in the crowd. "You did get her here, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. She just ran off with Tia to see the improvements they made on the girls side of the camp. They went to reminisce."

"And you didn't want to join them?"

"I know you think you're funny, but you're not. The only fond memories I took from this place is my friendship with Bella. Being sent here on community service for something you didn't even do isn't likely to endear a place to a person."

Suddenly, Bella appeared at Rose's side and bumps her with her hip. "It's not the camp's fault you had poor taste in friends, Rose. How many times have we gone through this?"

Bella's impish grin lights up her face and his entire world. He reaches out to tug her into his arms.

"There you are. I was starting to worry Rose left you behind or you hid from her while you were shopping today."

"No, actually it was an enjoyable shopping trip. So enjoyable that I decided to wear some of the spoils of my labor."

He let his eyes take in the ivory flowy dress that stopped above her knees, which she'd paired with her favorite pair of soft worn brown and pink cowboy boots and a brown belt that accentuated her waist.

"Gorgeous, as always," he whispers, pulling her closer for a proper welcome.

Rose broke up the kiss before it had time to turn into something inappropriate for the company and guides them over the the drinks table. Emmett was already cracking jokes and mixing up drinks like he was on duty at the club he and Rose owned in the city.

"Your usuals, ladies."

Emmett grinned at Bella, kissed Rose, and points at the coke with a mini umbrella I didn't recall seeing on the table earlier.

"And for the DD." He winked at Edward before moving onto the girl next to them. They grabbed their drinks and made their way through the crowd to reacquaint themselves with everyone.

Edward found his favorite moment was when they realize Tia had invited a couple groups of specific campers that were all grown up themselves now; Bella's original cabin of girls along with his own cabin of guys. He had to admit he was most surprised when Mike told him that he'd given up his natural talent with computers and instead had worked his butt off through high school and was attending Duke on a baseball scholarship.

Rose excuses herself from them when dinner is served to go hang out with Emmett where he was still keeping court by the drinks table while he ate, leaving Bella and Edward alone to catch up with their campers. They sat together on a log near the fire pit, sharing little touches in a way they have never been comfortable with as counselors, trying to set a good example for impressionable children.

As the night wore on, he found himself relaxing and just enjoying the ridiculous sing-a-long that starts when someone convinces Benjamin to get his guitar. What had started with the camp song, ends up with a terribly interesting version of _Get Low_, which had included Benjamin turning scarlet and refusing to participate when he realizes what the song was about. Which had results of several of the younger attendees jumping on a log and finish it acappella style complete with their own dance moves.

With a gleeful laugh, Tia taps her own wine glass, gaining everyone's attention.

"I just want every one of you who have glass in your hand to remember that I have your keys and if you don't have a Designated Driver, you should find a cabin to stay in, because no one is leaving my grounds driving drunk. Also, if you're not twenty-one yet, I better not catch you with a drink in your hands. I know just who you are still and I've got my eyes on you."

Her laughter was infectious and has the entire crowd laughing until she declares the s'mores bar finally open and that for one night only, she was lifting her one s'more limit.

"You want me to get us some?" Bella offers from her spot next to me.

"No, I think I'll do it this time. Regular chocolate or something fancy and exotic?"

"Oh, I think you should steal a plate and make four completely different ones and we can share them."

"Mmm...I knew there was a reason I loved you; brilliant and beautiful. I'll be right back with our smörgåsbord of s'mores."

"Wow, how long did it take you to come up with that one, champ?"

"Shut it, Rose." Even under Rose's harassment at the s'mores table he couldn't do anything but grin.

"Romeo, let me see the ring. You've been so damned closed lipped about it."

"Because it's Bella's ring! Don't you think she should see it first?"

Edward raises an eyebrow as he sticks the marshmallows on the sticks and heads back towards the fire to roast them. He grins at Bella before holding them up for her inspection a couple of times before receiving the thumbs up. He lets them cool as he moves to the other table to complete his s'mores.

"As her best friend, it's my job to make sure you did a good job."

"He's not going to buy that, Rosie," Emmett chimes in.

Edward opts to ignore their bickering while he carefully places white chocolate on a cinnamon graham cracker, plain chocolate on the normal graham cracker, Reese's peanut butter cup on the chocolate graham cracker, and last a Carmello bar on a honey graham before carefully topping them all with two marshmallows and a matching top. He glances over at Bella's spot to make sure she was still there before retrieving the ring from his pocket.

"Romeo, that's beautiful. She's going to die." Rose says quietly, a hint of awe in her voice as she peaks over his shoulder.

He found himself beaming at her words and he couldn't even be irritated as he carefully situates the ring in between the marshmallows on the traditional s'more.

"Wish me luck."

"You don't need it, Romeo, knock her dead!"

"Sorry that took so long. But as a reward for your patience we have a brilliant assortment, if I do say so myself. Honey Carmello S'more, Chocolate Reese's S'more, Cinnamon White Chocolate S'more, and last but certainly not least, the never go out of style classic s'more," he tells her with a flourish. The plate is arranged carefully so the classic was facing the fire.

"Oh, it was a good call for you to go. They all sound yummy. I'll start with the Reese's, I think. Then we'll work our way through, saving the classic for last in case we can't eat that many. If the other ones taste weird, we know we're ending with something delicious."

Edward laughs at her plan. Never had he known Bella to turn down any form of refined sugar. He lets her pick up the first s'more as he balances the plate on his lap for them, both slowly working their way through the plate of s'mores.

"Okay, I think the cinnamon white chocolate might be my new absolute favorite. That combination is to die for."

He can feel his own stomach turning as she reaches through the darkness for the final s'more. He is unsure if it was the amount of sugar he just ingested or the fact that she looks like she's going to take a bite out of her engagement ring momentarily that made him so nervous.

"Edward, I think there's something in here."

He sets the plate in front of the log and shifts so he was on one knee in front of her. He watches as she tilts the s'more, trying to get a better look at what was embedded in the marshmallows. She gasps as the firelight finally hit the ring, causing it to sparkle.

"Bella," he whispers as removes the s'more and takes her hand, placing the dessert on the plate. He gently wiggles the ring free of the marshmallow with his left hand as he looks into her eyes.

"Ten years ago when I first saw you across the fire, I was terrified to approach you. I thought someone as beautiful and sweet as you would never go for someone like me."

He can feel the eyes around the fire shift toward them and the conversations slowly start to dim, but he doesn't allow himself to lose focus or his eyes to stray anywhere but Bella's.

"Then I did exactly what I had been trying to avoid all summer. I tripped over my own feet and pushed you into the lake. It was that night that I started falling for you. Spending the whole year writing and talking on the phone with you, I found for the first time I could truly be myself and be accepted. Growing up I had always felt a bit like Data, as if I was walking through life a bit shy and awkward, not knowing how to fit in with everyone else.

"You pulled me out of that shell and showed me that it was okay to be myself; to share that with other people. You became the highlight of my life, whether we were away at camp or hours apart at home. Then two summers later, you fed me that bull line about how it was tradition if you were standing to the left of someone on the twentieth day of June under the Harvest Moon that you have to kiss them.

"I felt as if I was the most privileged guy in the world because you had chosen me. You wanted _me_. I still feel that way every day that I'm with you. I brought you back here to the place that I first fell in love with you, because I wanted to ask you something."

He finally takes a breath as he lifts the ring so she could see it again.

"Bella Swan, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and letting me love you forever?"

The air around him feels as if it's filled with electricity and the air in his lungs freeze as he anticipates her answer. The seconds seem to stretch into minutes and the minutes into innumerable hours. He knew it wasn't possible, but the silence was killing him.

Suddenly, a hiccuping sob broke through the silence followed by a giggle as she launches herself into his arms.

"Yes," she whispers against his ear. He can feel the warmth of her tears as he holds onto her.

"Tell me those are happy tears, number one."

"Of course they are. I love you, so much," she whispers, pulling back to study his face. "You did all of this? Or the reunion just happened to come up at the right time?"

"I did all of this. I wanted to bring you back here, so I called Tia and she helped me bring everyone here."

"This is incredible, Edward. So perfect. I cannot believe you did all this for me."

"I would do this a million times over. You deserve the world, number one."

"Hey! Did she say yes?"

The sound of Rose's voice shouting over the calm breaks them out of their trance and suddenly he remembers they're surrounded by people who are waiting with baited breath. He takes her left hand and kisses it softly as he slides ring on her finger, kissing her soundly before making his announcement with a laugh.

"She said yes!"

The applause and cheers erupt around them and he can feel Bella being pulled out of his arms, and seeing as it was Rose doing the pulling, he knew better than to hold on. He allows Emmett to pull him up off the ground.

"Oh, you did such a fabulous job! I'm so proud of you, Edward. You made me all teary and emotional. Possibly that was the wine, but all of it was so perfect." Edward laughs, hugging Tia to him as he nods.

"Probably the wine, Ms. Tia, but thank you for everything that you have done to make this happen."

"Oh boy, that girl is so in love with you that you could have sat the ring on the table without saying anything and she'd have said yes."

"Mi Amor, that's not his way; this boy has style. He wanted to show his Bella just how much he loved her." Benjamin says softly, hugging Tia from behind and pulling his wife closer to him.

"I did, and I hope I succeeded. In fact, I think I'm going to go steal her back from the masses and make sure that I did."

"Edward, I still expect the two of you at breakfast. 8:30 sharp. Do not keep a lady waiting."

"Of course not, Ms. Tia, never you." Edward hugs Tia and accepts Benjamin's pat on the back before crossing the clearing to slide his arms around Bella from behind.

"Can I sweep you away from the madness? Rumor has it there's a special room waiting for us just over the hill."

"A night spent alone with my fiancé in Cabin 8? How can a girl resist an offer like that?"

"Don't. Just go with it. Ladies, I'm stealing my fiancée. Thank you for being here tonight." He couldn't find it within himself to let her go while they said their good-byes.

"Tonight was amazing," she whispers as they made their way through the woods toward the cabin.

"I'm so glad you think so. I went through a million plans and none of them felt right until I came up with this. I was just so glad that Tia and Benjamin were on board with it."

"Me too. You know I always wanted to sneak over here and climb in bed with you."

"You'd have scandalized my campers, but I would have been more than okay with it."

"Oh, I'm sure you would have, Captain." As she steps in the cabin, her jacket makes it's way onto the floor. Suddenly, she looks up at him with a smile. "But now there's no campers, so the question is, what to do now?"

Edward swallows, watching her undo her belt and add it to the growing pile on the floor.

"Let me show you to my bunk, Number One. Then I'll show you exactly what I plan to do with you now." Lacing their fingers, he leads her back to the bunk he made up after his arrival and pulls her into his arms.

"It's an awfully little bed."

"All the better to keep you close, my dear," he whispers as his head dips to kiss her the way he'd wanted to out by the fire, his hands sliding over her body. It was so familiar that it felt like home to him, but somehow everything felt so heightened tonight. He's on fire and he knows that the only person that can quench his fire is in his arms.

"I love you so much. I am the luckiest man in the world because I get to love you forever."

"Trust me when I say I am the lucky one. I have found my other half and my best friend. Now, I do believe you were going to show me _all_ the uses you'd imagined for this bunk while I was across the lake."

Edward laughs as he pulls her closer against him, his hands sliding slowly down to find the bottom of her dress. "

Yes, I have a lot to show you tonight."


End file.
